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No St. Mark's Saturdays Classes This Weekend
Winter SM Saturdays classes will NOT meet this Saturday, February 18. The final SM Saturday for the trimester is next Saturday, February 25. As a reminder, Saturday classes meet from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., and School Meeting begins the day at 8:40 a.m.
High School Survey of Student Engagement, February 23
Next Thursday, February 23, St. Mark’s will be administering the High School Survey of Student Engagement. This survey will be administered during the school day and overseen by St. Mark’s faculty and staff. We have participated in this survey annually for several years, and the results are used in planning and evaluation of student engagement across various academic and extracurricular supports and programs at the School.
This website provides more information about the survey: https://www.nais.org/analyze/student-engagement-surveys/
Participation is voluntary and at the discretion of students and their parents. The students will be told that they can skip any question that they would prefer not to answer. Students who do not wish to complete the survey will have the opportunity to work independently.
If you do NOT want your child to complete the survey or, if you have any questions or comments about these assessment efforts, please contact Director of Institutional Research Dr. Sarah Enterline at sarahenterline@stmarksschool.org.
Thank you in advance for your support of this important initiative.
Reminder: TEDxYouth at St. Mark's, February 24
St.Marks is holding TEDxYouth@StMarksSchool, and we invite you to join us next Friday, February 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Putnam Family Arts Center. Brought to you by the student organizers and TEDx committee, the event will feature big ideas and great student speeches by Diya Bhaireddy '25, Liam Childs '25, Karry Kim '25, Delin Liu '24, and Darius Wagner '23. Attendees will also receive a goodie bag with custom gifts! Check out our official website on TED.com TEDxYouth@StMarksSchool and RSVP here.
Prize Day 2023 is Saturday, June 10
This email was sent to families yesterday with important information about our 2023 graduation ceremony, known as Prize Day at St. Mark's. Please read the email, as it contains pertinent information, frequently asked questions, and a list of events scheduled for our closing week of School, which will be here before we know it!
Reminder: Judges Needed for Worcester Regional Science and Engineering Fair, March 10
St. Mark's students in the Taft STEM Fellowship are working hard to prepare for the upcoming Worcester Regional Science and Engineering Fair on Friday, March 10, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The fair is back in person for the first time since 2019, and organizers are eager to expand the judging pool. If you are currently working in a STEM field and can volunteer as a judge from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on March 10, please register here. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to judging@wrsef.net for more information. Thank you for considering, and please help us spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested!
Reminder: Summer Volunteer Opportunity at Brantwood Camp
St. Mark’s students have been volunteering at Brantwood Camp for over 100 years! Brantwood is a sleep-away camp in Greenfield, NH, serving children who would not otherwise be able to afford a summer camp experience. Any St. Mark’s student who will be 16 or older by June is invited to apply to be a volunteer counselor for one of the following sessions: June 30-July 14; July 17-July 31; and August 3-August 17. There is no cost to the volunteers, but they do have to arrange their own transportation to and from the camp. Parents and students can learn more about the camp at the Brantwood website; please reach out to Rev. Talcott at barbaratalcott@stmarksschool.org with your interest and questions. Continue the tradition!
Admission
Re-Enrollment Contracts Will Be Issued in March
Dear Parents of current III, IV, and V Formers: student re-enrollment contracts for all returning students in 2023-2024 will be issued online beginning next month. New this year, contracts will be accessed via our new St. Mark’s SchoolAdminOnline enrollment portal. An enrollment portal email invitation will be sent to both parent email addresses for each household, if applicable. The email addresses which will be utilized are the primary emails listed for each parent currently in our database (unless you share an email, in which case these will be sent to only one). If your email for contract purposes has recently changed, please use our online form (https://www.stmarksschool.org/admission/linked-pages/updated-email) to update your email address on file with the admission office.
Re-Enrollment Timeline:
- Beginning March 13: re-enrollment contracts will be sent out online from info+stmarksschool@schooladminonline.com (with a unique invitation link). Please make note: the subject line of the email you will be receiving for this is "Accessing St. Mark’s School’s Online Enrollment Portal." Contracts will go out in waves over a two to three- week window from that date, and will be sent to your family only if not 'On Hold' by any of the school's departments.
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By April 20: completed re-enrollment contracts and deposits are due by the end of this business day. Reminder: deposits are separate from tuition.
Chapel
New Date for Confirmation at St. Mark’s
Time to sign up for confirmation at St. Mark’s School! The on-campus classes that lead up to our service of confirmation and baptism in Belmont Chapel begin just before Spring Break, and will meet on Tuesdays over a pizza dinner. The service will be on Sunday, April 23, and family and friends are warmly invited. There is no homework, just some good discussion about what it means to choose the Christian faith. Contact the Rev. Barbara Talcott to sign up or to learn more at barbaratalcott@stmarksschool.org or 508.786.6186.
Note: If you would prefer to be confirmed in a Roman Catholic Church, plan to attend classes at St. Anne’s in Southborough beginning in the fall of 2023. St. Anne’s is walking distance from campus, and we excuse students from their St. Mark’s obligations as necessary. You can learn more about their program at https://stannesouthborough.org/confirmation-preparation.
Community and Equity
Weekly Reflection
In light of Black History Month at St. Mark's, Rick DaSilva and Lizzy Jones would like to invite the community to participate in a more focused exercise utilizing the weekly prompt.
As the St. Mark's community celebrates Black History Month in direct and subtle ways, the C&E Office will be introducing selections from people of color who represent the spirit of this annual celebration. May their words and perspectives inspire self-reflection, empowerment, and meaningful conversations.
This week's prompt: Shirley Chisholm, the first African American congresswoman, stated, “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”
What areas for growth have you identified at St. Mark’s? In your role, how do you plan to be most effective in addressing and improving these areas for growth?
Community Life and Student Engagement
Weekend Activities
Want to know what's happening this weekend? Check out the Weekend Activities Google Doc for on-campus events and trips to off-campus locations.
Leadership Selection Process for 2023-2024
Believe it or not, it’s time to begin thinking about the leadership selection process for the 2023-2024 academic year. On Monday, students were invited to attend an information session with Ms. Caron and faculty advisors of five leadership positions: Monitor, House Prefect, Pathways Prefect, Peer Discussion Leader, and Student Discipline Committee. A record number of students attended this session, which was required for leadership applicants and the first step in this exciting process.
Students had an opportunity to learn about the application process and timeline, to hear from faculty advisors, and to ask questions of current student leaders. The written application contains general and role-specific questions, and many roles have in-person elements (interviews) in addition to the written application. The digital application was sent to those who attended the information session on Wednesday, February 15. Applications are due on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at 9:30 p.m. Students can direct application questions to Ms. Caron.
Housing for 2023-2024
The housing process for boarding students takes place after the completion of the student leadership application process. Students are encouraged to “hold off” on housing conversations until they return from Spring Break. Housing information and information sessions will be held later in the spring. Stay tuned!
Evening Sign-Outs
Last week, V Form boarding students gained the ability to sign out to the library during study hall for group work. V and VI Form Burnett (day) students are also able to work in the library during study hall, and they should depart campus by 9:30 p.m.
Order a St. Mark's School Signet Ring
Here is the order form for the St. Mark's School signet ring by Herff Jones. A representative from Herff Jones was on campus today and will return to campus next Thursday, February 23, to accept ring orders in person. For questions, please contact Michael McCann at mamccann@herffjones.com.
Reminder: PanFoto Panoramic All-School Photos Now Available
Dear St. Mark's School Families, a full-color panoramic photograph of the entire St. Mark's School community, as well as VI Form photographs by the PanFoto Team, are now available. Click here to order, and enjoy these memories for years to come! Orders placed before March 5, 2023 receive discounted pricing.
Global Citizenship
Reminder: Lions Roam Applications
As announced at School Meeting last week, the 2024 Lions Roam trip will be to Ecuador and the Galapagos; faculty members Mr. Cifuentes and Ms. Lohwater will lead the trip. St. Mark's is employing a different model this year in which students do not need to take a specific course, but do need to take both Spanish and a Life Science course as they will be learning about Ecuador and the Galapagos in those classes. There will also be a Saturday Class associated with this Lions Roam. Students in the rising IV, V, and VI Form classes may apply for Lions Roam. There are 10 spots available for next year. You can find the Lions Roam Application here. Please reach out to Dr. Warren if you have any questions. A course description follows:
Course Description: Ecuadorian history spans nearly 8,000 years encompassing a range of different cultures and territories that have played a significant part in forming modern-day Ecuador. 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador lie the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago whose endemic species served as a major source of inspiration for Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. This unique joint offering between the Modern Languages & Science departments seeks to provide an introduction to the rich natural history, culture, history, and economics of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Students of Spanish will examine Ecuadorian history from pre-colonial to modern times, as well as study geography, literature, and food. Through their science course, those same students will explore the unique animal and plant ecology of the Galapagos. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding how the islands’ unique geography and location led to the evolution of such a wide diversity of endemic species and why Unesco identified the Galapagos as one of the places most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Head of School
The Search for our Next Head of School
Please stay tuned to this newsletter for future updates on the Head of School search as it progresses. You can also view updates anytime on our School website here.
Athletics
Wrestling News
Congratulations to our wrestling team for their 6th-place finish at the Graves Kelsey ISL Championships last weekend! The team earned the David Coe Trophy for the Most Improved Team. Coe was the St. Mark's wrestling coach and athletic director from 1933-1969.
Even more exciting is that Ife Lawore '25, Joel Lawore '23, Justin Lu '25, Ben Markle '24, Seedi Sheriff '26, Albert Wu '23, and Jiayi Yu '23 all advance to the New England tournament this weekend at Andover!
Girls' and Boys' Squash News
Congratulations to our girls' varsity squash team for earning the #4 seed in the Class C New England tournament this weekend! The Lions will compete in individual draws based on ladder number. The competition starts on Saturday morning at Hopkins School.
Congratulations to our boys' varsity squash team for earning the #8 seed in the Class C New England tournament this weekend! The Lions will play #1 Loomis Chaffee in the first round on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Salisbury.
Advancement
IV Form Parent Chat
Couldn’t make it to the IV Form Parent Chat? Catch up with the recording to see what you missed.
Parent Hot Chocolate, February 27
Please join us for an informal get together in the Admissions Parlor from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 27. We will be serving hot chocolate and cookies while all students are in Chapel. This is a great opportunity to connect with others!
Around the Quad
SALE at the Online School Store
Looking for a St. Mark's gift and can't make it campus? Shop the online St. Mark's School store here. For the month of February, receive 20 percent off long sleeve tees. Plus, orders totaling $50 or more receive free shipping. Happy shopping!
For More on What's Happening Inside the Pride
View photos from campus on our School's SmugMug page.
Read the latest news stories on our website.
Watch videos from St. Mark's on our YouTube page.
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